Kingston: Big-hitting batsman Chris Gayle has been recalled to the West Indies squad for the lone Twenty20 International against India on Sunday. Gayle, who is West Indies’ most successful batsman in the T20 format with 1,519 runs at an average of 35.32, replaced Lendl Simmons, who had struggled for runs in the T20 series against Afghanistan.
It will be Gayle’s first T20 match at his home ground, Sabina Park. The marauding batsman, who has two T20 centuries, last played an international match for the West Indies in the 2016 World T20 final against England at Eden Gardens.
All-rounder Jason Holder, who leads the side in Tests and ODIs, has been rested again and the side will be led by Carlos Brathwaite. “We welcome Chris back to the T20 squad. He is the most prolific batsman in this format and will add value to our team at the top of the order,” Courtney Browne, Cricket West Indies’ chairman of selectors, said.
“He will get the chance to play on his home ground and against a top-quality Indian team,” Browne added.
The hosts are trailing 1-2 in a five-match ODI series with India and will strive to equal the rubber by winning the final match on Wednesday.
Virat Kohli’s men lost the fourth ODI by 11 runs in North Sound, Antigua after some extremely slow batting while chasing a low target of 190 runs.
Former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni racked up the dubious distinction of scoring the slowest half-century by an Indian batsman in more than a decade with a painstaking, snail-like innings of 54 runs which included a single boundary over 114 deliveries.
Known for his hard-hitting batting in the closing stages and his ability to chase down challenging targets, Dhoni will be eager to produce another trademark high tempo innings and redeem himself.
In-form opener Ajinkya Rahane was the only other Indian batsman who managed to stand up to the West Indies bowlers with a patient innings of 60 runs off 91 deliveries.
The rest of the Indian batsmen failed miserably. Seemingly cruising to a comfortable victory with 31 runs needed in the last five overs and five wickets in hand, India suffered a spectacular lower-order batting collapse.
West Indies T20 squad: Carlos Brathwaite (C), Samuel Badree, Ronsford Beaton, Chris Gayle, Evin Lewis, Jason Mohammed, Sunil Narine, Kieron Pollard, Rovman Powell, Marlon Samuels, Jerome Taylor, Chadwick Walton and Kesrick Williams.
